More migrants are introduced ashore by Border Force on tenth day

Dozens more migrants have been brought ashore by Border Force as illegal crossings carry on for the tenth consecutive day. 

A group of mainly male migrants were seen arriving at the Port of Dover aboard Border Force vessels while wearing orange lifejackets, before being taken into the immigration processing centre.

The arrivals came as it was confirmed that 77 migrants aboard two vessels were intercepted and processed in the coastal town on Sunday.

Official figures show that 9,455 in 193 boats have been recorded making the crossing so far this year – with 1,888 being recorded in the first 12 days of May alone.

It comes just days after the Hone Office said it had paused publishing statistics on the number of migrants prevented from crossing the Channel in small boats.

It followed ‘consultation with the French’, the update said, and the department would ‘provide further updates on the publication of prevention data as soon as possible’. 

Exact reasons for the U-turn have not been disclosed.

But the Home Office said the statistics were ‘estimates’ and prone to ‘measurement error’.  

From May 4 to May 12, 1,177 migrants have been confirmed to have been intercepted, according to the latest Home Office figures.

The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 now stands at a provisional total of 8,278. 

This is 34 per cent higher than the total at the equivalent point last year, which was 6,192, and 19% higher than the total at this stage in 2022, which was 6,945. 

Border Force vessels Hurricane and Ranger have been seen on Search and Rescue duty in the Dover-Calais strait this morning.

A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘The unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the Channel demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible.

‘We continue to work closely with French police who are facing increasing violence and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys. Last year they stopped 26,000 people from reaching our shores.

‘We remain committed to building on the successes that saw arrivals drop by more than a third last year, including tougher legislation and agreements with international partners, in order to save lives and stop the boats.’

Channel crossings had already hit a new record high for the first four months of the calendar year.

Last year 29,437 migrants arrived in the UK, down 36 per cent on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.

Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak is facing a fresh legal headache over his Rwanda plan after a judge ruled that it cannot go ahead in Northern Ireland.

The High Court in Belfast has decided that the provisions of the Illegal Migration Act undermine human rights protections under the Windsor Framework agreed with the EU by the PM.

Mr Justice Humphreys also said aspects of the Act were incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The PM has played down the impact of the ruling, insisting it ‘changes nothing’, and vowing the courts will not prevent him defending national security.

‘I have been consistently clear that the commitments in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement should be interpreted as they were always intended, and not expanded to cover issues like illegal migration. We will take all steps to defend that position, including through appeal,’ he said.

However, there will be fresh concerns about legal wrangling delaying the policy, while the DUP has warned Northern Ireland could become a ‘magnet for asylum seekers’.

The row comes amid signs the Rwanda scheme is already having a deterrent effect, with Ireland complaining that migrants are crossing the border to avoid being deported to the African state.